A Tenno's Kind of Espionage

Disruptis - Disruptis 10-Feb-21 12:54 AM

[AR 1/5/3] CLOSED RP - Space, Uranus At any moment in time, one can bear witness to countless vessels hopping the yawning void of space. They dash from planet to planet carrying cargo and people—though sometimes they are one in the same—with distinct purpose. One such vessel was found with such purpose on a course to the seventh planet from the Sun. Out the front viewport of the Birger Transport ship stretched the massive expanse of Uranus’ oceans. Frontier Grineer either set about their tasks aboard the ship or loitered as they waited for landing. Two shorter Grineer sat on a collection of heavy containers filled with mundane supplies in the corner of the ship. The low hum of the ship filled the silence between their ears. Every once in a while, a pipe would give a small hiss or some unseen part of the ship would clank with another. Expected noise, but comforting ambience. Eventually another Grineer trooper who was meandering about came to sit on a container across from them. He pushed a hand to his neck to alleviate its stiffness if just a little. In the gutteral Grineer language, he attempted to pass the time with a bit of conversation. “Somethumes Hu get so bregrer. How you two holding up?”

Kelimnac - Dominus 10-Feb-21 03:25 PM

MAX? One of the Grineer nods, then reaches up to his throat and rubs at it, as if one of his particular afflictions was damage to his esophagus. To accompany that, his voice is scratchy and low, and thick with the Grineer accents. He clearly doesn’t talk much. “Nevegr uuser to sgakefdugrt. Ggrefegr ggrouunr. Rategr gdanet suuffuke.” {Never used to space flight. Prefer ground. Water planet suffice.} (edited)

Vosenedich - Lupin 11-Feb-21 01:33 AM

TOTALLY-NOT-LUPIN™️ The other Grineer shook his head and sighed in defeat; leaning forward and resting his elbows against his knees he reached with one hand to adjust his mask's tubing. The voice was unfiltered, but much like the other Earthling, gravelly and coarse, yet lighter on its accent. "Hu'm bregrer oot of tu mhunr. Re's not as klat ekskhutung." He paused briefly as he looked from his companion back to the visitor. "Ror moohr donger hun flhuvor?" {I'm bored out of my mind. He's not all that exciting.} -pause- {How much longer in flight?} (edited)

Disruptis - Disruptis 11-Feb-21 04:37 PM

The trooper gave a curt nod, stowing his sobek on a hook at his waist. “Ron't k muukr dongegr nor. U've mare klus fdugrt a fer tumes adgreary.” {Won't be much longer now. I've made this flight a few times already.} ~Apart from their conversation, only whispers could be heard from the rest of the crew as they prepared for descent. The trooper leaned in and lowered his voice.~ “Klegre’s someklung trgrange klouugr. Re dotr kommuunukatuon rukl kle srug klat rent kfogre uus a rrude ago, youu knor? re knor kley adgreary danrer klouugr, buut kleugr sytrems muutr’ve fauder ruugrung kle tgrug.” {There’s something strange though. We lost communication with the ship that went before us a while ago, you know? We know they already landed though, but their systems must’ve failed during the trip.}

Kelimnac - Dominus 11-Feb-21 06:36 PM

MAX? “Rogefuuddy ut rasn’t segruouus. Mayk an egrgrogr un danrung?” [Hopefully it wasn’t serious. Maybe an error in landing?] The trooper looks to his fellow for input, but the mind inside is racing, trying to piece together what might’ve bricked an apparently routine flight. He made a mental note to ask Intellectus to investigate once they were clear to communicate again.

Vosenedich - Lupin 11-Feb-21 10:56 PM

TOTALLY-NOT-LUPIN™️ A series of small nods agreed with his companion's theory. "Khul de'srhup tuke klas uun: currs srup oot on danrung. Re cutr rave seyme probdem." He added while turning to the trooper and pointing at the source of some of the hissing that could be heard near the back of the ship. {Old ship like this one: cords slip out on landing. We could have same problem.} "Bat jutr hun kehus." He added after a brief pause, patting the grakata propped up between his legs with the confidence only someone ready to die can have. {But just in case.} (edited)

Disruptis - Disruptis 14-Feb-21 11:06 PM

The Trooper responded with a grunt. He unbuttoned one of the pouches on his leg and pulled out a small object wrapped in cloth. Unfolding it revealed it to be a dried up ration of some sort. He wolfed it down. “Rrat regre youu tro roung kfogre klus? re gukker youu uug fgrom kle oklegr rse grugrt?” {What were you two doing before this? We picked you up from the other base right?}

Kelimnac - Dominus 15-Feb-21 12:56 PM

MAX? He nodded, flexing his fingers and stretching out his wrists. “Gagrgruson, motrdy. Buut u rur konvoy eskogrts gdanetsure.” [Garrison, mostly. But I did do convoy escorts planetside.] Safe, seamless lies. Keep it simple and boring. Not worth looking into.

Vosenedich - Lupin 18-Feb-21 08:10 AM

TOTALLY-NOT-LUPIN™️ At the sight of the ration, he quickly pat on his own leg pouch feeling through the fabric that his own 'ration' was still intact. "Sayme khul de'khlung. Gerhumeter gatror na mayntenense." He added after his companion, giving the base of his neck a gentle rub. {Same old thing. Perimeter patrols and maintenance.}

Disruptis - Disruptis 19-Feb-21 06:18 PM

“Mhmm,” the Trooper mumbled, taking another bite out of his ration. ~He sat there in silence with them for a couple more moments before he caught something strange out of the corner of his eye. The two disguised Grineer watched as he stood up and approached some sort of commotion in the bridge. It was hard to tell what was being said from their distance, but the Birger Officer was engaged in a tense conversation with the two pilots at the helm. The Officer stood eight feet tall with the typical cybernetic interface covering her left eye. A Karak Wraith sporting a standard issue gray paint job hung on her back. The Trooper kept a respectable distance from them and leaned against a nearby console, to keep within earshot.~ (edited)

Kelimnac - Dominus 20-Feb-21 11:40 AM

MAX? He didn’t shift from his position on the crate, but he did follow the friendly Trooper’s movement towards the console, then gave a pointed look to his fellow. He didn’t risk speaking, but the intent was clear. Hopefully they weren’t compromised. He was preferring a quiet insertion. And that Trooper was nice. It’d be a shame to kill him.

Vosenedich - Lupin 21-Feb-21 03:02 PM

TOTALLY-NOT-LUPIN™️ Seeing the concern in his companion's stare, he gave a small nod in return and tapped onto the side of his head, hiding the "listen in" gesture with a scratch of his ear. With that, he stood up and stretched, then grabbed the grakata and carried it in one hand, pointed at the ground, as he got a bit closer to the bridge. Hopefully his presence near the bridge as he followed a few paces after the more experienced Grineer, still rolling his shoulders as if to shrug off the travel stiffness.

Disruptis - Disruptis 23-Feb-21 11:02 AM

~No one seemed to pay a short Grineer listlessly strolling through the ship any mind. He managed to get within ear-shot of the talking.~ Birger Officer: “Klat unsodent dot kan’t even ro kleugr job ggrogegrdy onke kan kley!” the Officer exclaimed, pounding a fist on a nearby console. One of the pilots flinched at the outbreak. {That insolent lot can’t even do their job properly once can they!} Pilot: The other pilot steadied a glass of drink on her side desk. “Kle datr klung re reagrr us klat ouugr sutregr srug adgreary danrer. Kleugr srug kommuunukatuons bgroke, so mayk ouugrs us kle one bgroken klus tume?” {The last thing we heard is that our sister ship already landed. Their ship communications broke, so maybe ours is the one broken this time?} Birger Officer: The Officer narrowed her eyes. “Ut… KTTEGR not k.” {It… BETTER not be.} She wrenched her hands from the back of one of the pilot’s chairs and stormed out into the ship, eyes seething with frustration as they darted between all the Grineer in the area, including the disguised one. “Evegry one of youu uusedessdy rautung agrouunr, kome regre grugrt nor!” She bellowed. {Every one of you uselessly waiting around, come here right now!} ~A silence fell over the small amount of chatter and busywork for a moment, then the clattering of tools filled the air as Grineer emptied their hands and scurried to form attention lines in front of the Officer.~ (edited)

Kelimnac - Dominus 23-Feb-21 11:46 AM

MAX? The quiet trooper still sat on the crate pushes off of it, moving quickly, but without rushing, to join the attention lines, to show professional diligence and not fear. To show there is nothing to hide. While leaving the crate did give him a sense of apprehension, he and his fellow had made a point to hide their subterfuge beneath a layer of prior cargo. And the ace up their sleeve in event of an emergency was always in play.

Vosenedich - Lupin 23-Feb-21 03:42 PM

TOTALLY-NOT-LUPIN™️ "A localised dead-comms area? Even if it were kuva research, that's beyond the usual security measures..." He though to himself while listening in to the mechanical problems on the bridge. Snapping out of his relaxed demeanour, the 'disguised one' strapped his grakata back onto his belt and fixed the fitting of his helmet while moving into the forming line to stand at attention. He was tiny compared to the others standing beside him, but looked no less the part of a capable and loyal soldier. He was not quite as used to being on the receiving end of the calls to attention, but he knew what was expected of them. The idea of this being a new experience gave him far more comfort than anxiety, and after all, the plan was progressing flawlessly. (edited)

Disruptis - Disruptis 23-Feb-21 05:20 PM

Birger Officer: The officer cleared her throat. “Dutren uug bgroklegrs anr sutregrs. Ouugr subdungs on kle ggrouunr rave fauder to ansregr ouugr grequuetrs to rokk. Euklegr kley kannot reagr uus, ogr re kannot reagr klem. Go nor anr make suugre klus usn’t ouugr fauudt! krekk to make suugre evegryklung’s rogrkung!” {“Listen up brothers and sisters. Our siblings on the ground have failed to answer our requests to dock. Either they cannot hear us, or we cannot hear them. Go now and make sure this isn’t our fault! Check to make sure everything’s working!”} ~The mismatch of combat and non-combat units broke attention to look between each other in response. They broke line to gather in their groups of specialization and head to different positions in the ship.~

Kelimnac - Dominus 23-Feb-21 06:33 PM

MAX? He waited a half second to register the order, and more importantly give time for his group to gather, then he made a point to begin inspecting for signs of more direct sabotage on the ship itself. While he glanced his fellow infiltrator’s way, it was only for a moment. Just acquaintances, saying a silent farewell for now.

Vosenedich - Lupin 23-Feb-21 07:24 PM

TOTALLY-NOT-LUPIN™️ Behind the mask, he raised an eyebrow at the commands, but nodded in acknowledgement as they were being dismissed, then gave a second nod to his co-conspirator as they parted ways and joined different units. Personally, he was heading with the maintenance and support unit, hopefully he'd be able to pin-point the source of the issue before anyone thought about going through the cargo. (edited)

Disruptis - Disruptis 24-Feb-21 06:01 PM

~The ship rumbled as it pierced the outer layer of Uranus’s atmosphere. The Grineer went over their routine maintenance checks, though they were difficult to accomplish while the ship was in flight. The first infiltrator found nothing amiss with regards to direct sabotage on the ship itself amongst his group. The second, who had followed the maintenance and support unit found there was a small issue with some crushed wiring on a panel near the left wing of the ship. Discussing it amongst each other, none of them believed it was the problem at hand because it didn’t seem to connect to comms. Nevertheless, the head technician ordered one of the grunts to grab some supplies from the cargo to fix it just in case. The grunt complied and began moving towards the crate one of the infiltrators had stashed their contraband in.~

Kelimnac - Dominus 25-Feb-21 09:58 AM

MAX? Since his checks were clear, he made his way back to the cargo bay, as it was a good central place to regroup, and as he did so, spotted the grunt that could risk compromising their entire operation. Thankfully, he had an idea. He intercepted him at the crate itself, putting a hand on it. "Klus kagrgo us fogr kle fakuduty ondy, klat ras tu tranrung ogrregr. Rrat rur rear tekr neer? U'dd redg youu funr ut." [This cargo is for the facility only, that was my standing order. What did head tech need? I'll help you find it.] Technically, he wasn't lying. He and his associate had picked this crate specifically because it was headed to the base from their 'previous' one with orders for it not to be tampered with. But a ship grunt might not know that, so he was trying to point him in the right direction. Be cooperative, but firm.

Vosenedich - Lupin 25-Feb-21 02:56 PM

TOTALLY-NOT-LUPIN™️ A bead of sweat had formed on his forehead as he continued to run down a list of checkups with the head technician, while his eyes clearly followed the grunt threatening to expose them. "Fantastic interception." He thought as he stared at his accomplice and relaxed for a brief second, then returned his full attention towards the checklist. "Huf klus ras not fhuks hut, klen ramash hus eksternar, maybe atmosfhuer entrhu boorn rario reshuver?" He suggested while pointing at the ship schematic, certain that the prospect of having to check the exterior of the ship in it's current state and trajectory would deter anyone from that course of investigation. {If this does not fix it, then damage is external, maybe atmosphere entry burn radio receiver?}

Disruptis - Disruptis 26-Feb-21 06:48 PM

Head Technician: The Technician shook his head. “Re sent a message rren re deft. Kle graruo grekeuvegr dooks fune fgrom rrat re kan see, bgroklegr.” {We sent a message when we left. The radio receiver looks fine from what we can see, brother.} Grineer Grunt: The Lancer gave the Frontier Trooper in front of him a look over. He was much shorter than him. Much weaker. This one couldn’t boss him around without a higher position, but the Lancer didn’t want to seem stupid. “U knor klat, bgroklegr. U juutr dookung agrouunr fogr grugrt kgrate. U ron’t touukr klose ones,” he replied, mistakenly moving to a different set of boxes that may or may not contain the correct supplies. He didn’t know that though. {I know that, brother. I just looking around for right crate. I won’t touch those ones.} ~Everyone grabbed hold of the closest object or knelt on the floor to steady themselves as the ship completed its descent. The dark blue of Uranus’s waves under the night sky pulled into view out the windows. They rapidly approached a distant platform spurned by the tide. Smoke and steam billowed out large exhaust ports, as well as the signature beam of light splitting the heavens with its glow.~

Kelimnac - Dominus 27-Feb-21 10:16 AM

MAX? The Trooper nodded in respect to the Lancer as he moved away, then braced himself against the crate as the ship was making final maneuvers. It had been a tense flight, but he felt the slightest tinge of relief that they were so close to actually performing their mission. Now it was merely a matter of infiltrating a secret, highly guarded base in the middle of nowhere with minimal outside support. Thinking about it, by this point they really should be used to this kind of thing.

Vosenedich - Lupin 28-Feb-21 04:29 PM

TOTALLY-NOT-LUPIN™️ The technician was about to offer another alternative to their communications problem when the ship begun to shake. He grabbed onto the nearest pipe and braced himself until the ship's flight stabilised within the atmosphere. There'd been a few close calls, but they were finally arriving at their destination, and with that a step closer to shedding their cover. The communication errors, however, still gave him the sense something was terribly off; he'd have to check his own network once both of the infiltrators could shift into their combat gear.

Disruptis - Disruptis 02-Mar-21 11:28 PM

Birger Officer: The Birger Officer stormed out of the bridge a second time. “Dutren uug!” She hollered across the ship, “krange of gdans. Kle rse us uunregr attakk. Evegryone greary uug rttde fogrmatuons, re’gre rgroggung youu rorn to sekuugre kle danrung gdatfogrm.” {“Listen up! Change of plans. The base is under attack. Everyone ready up battle formations, we’re dropping you down to secure the landing platform.”} ~The Grineer froze, then dropped whatever they were doing and filed into position. Troopers and Lancers alike snatched their weapons and began tying themselves to drop ropes flanking the landing ramp. Six could be dropped at a time so the others queued behind, readying to pull the ropes up and use them for themselves. The ship slowed its descent.~

Vosenedich - Lupin 03-Mar-21 04:18 PM

TOTALLY-NOT-LUPIN™️ Much like the rest of the crew, the newcomer technician heeded the orders, letting go of the piping and tools in hand to instead switch to his grakata, moving towards the back of the line. All the while, he was searching for his companion to give them a signal and trying to wait for a moment, giving them a chance to line up next to him. From there they should be within the second or maybe third batch to drop, but more importantly it should be far easier to sneak back to the cargo hold and out of the upcoming deployment.

Kelimnac - Dominus 03-Mar-21 05:59 PM

MAX? Reluctant to immediately heed the orders, he still began moving towards the line, in particular angling towards the Lancer he'd spoken to previously, meeting him halfway as they rushed to form ranks. He would have to break off as he was not meant for the same line, but at least he could get a word in. His tone sounded desperate. Like his mission was at stake. Which in many ways, technically was not a lie. "Edregr bgroklegr, klose kgrates. Uf kle rse us uunregr attakk, ouugr bgroklegrs anr sutregrs rudd k un rugre neer of klose mategruads fogr kleugr ggrojekts, so klat kley agre not ramager. Uf u tgruer to ask ouugr dearegr, sre rouudr kgruusr me. Youu agre buggegr, trgrongegr, smagrtegr. Us klegre anyklung youu kan ro to get kle kagrgo offdoarer?" [Elder brother, those crates. If the base is under attack, our brothers and sisters will be in dire need of those materials for their projects, so that they are not damaged. If I tried to ask our leader, she would crush me. You are bigger, stronger, smarter. Is there anything you can do to get the cargo offloaded?] With his plea established, he bowed his head, then broke off and linked up with his fellow, his own Grakata in his hands and at the ready. It might not work, but it was at least worth a try.

Disruptis - Disruptis 05-Mar-21 03:48 PM

~The Lancer looked perplexed as the impostor talked to him, and didn’t seem to respond before he left. The first line dropped into the darkness. Then the second. Then both disguised Grineer dropped with the third line. Their feet hit the pitch-black ferrite platform slick with water from the rain and sea. Waves crashed into the ground beneath their feet, spraying their suits with freshwater mist carried across the surface over strong winds that buffeted their bodies. The slow burning sound of their ship’s engines quietly roared behind them, providing them with enough light to make out dozens of corpses littering the floor. The scent of the sea water mostly overpowered the faint metallic smell of blood. Other than the blood smear now washing away, the surface floor of the facility had taken a lot of damage. Various lights, patches of metal plating, and some crates had been broken, dented, scattered, or in some cases even corroded by something. The platform they stood on sprawled out into two more raised platforms and a surface entrance into the facility. The furthest platform held another ship, much like the one they rode in on. The only discernible difference was the complete state of disrepair and corpses strewn across the ramp leading into its darkened, busted remains. The first line of troops had cleared the platforms and were now investigating the elevators that sat utterly demolished at the bottom of the descent shaft. Without them it was a good 200 meter drop that the Grineer were not willing to attempt yet.~

Kelimnac - Dominus 07-Mar-21 04:30 PM

MAX? The impostor grimaced behind his opaque mask. So much for ego boosting. Taking the third line down had him ill at ease, but nonetheless he raised his weapon on landing and moved to watch the angle leading to the elevators, putting his back against a crate to try and deflect some of the intense winds. He looked to his fellow, hoping he'd follow him, and he was particularly curious about the other ship at the opposite end of their landing zone. Did whatever that had done this arrive with it? Or was the cause something else? More importantly, what was their next move? If the base was already under assault, what was the point of maintaining their cover any longer? This wasn't his mission to lead, though, so he waited for input. (edited)

Vosenedich - Lupin 07-Mar-21 09:28 PM

TOTALLY-NOT-LUPIN™️ While certainly not ideal, their cover was still intact, and whatever laid in wait, it was best for them to assess the situation before discarding their advantage. He nodded at his companion and approached him, gesturing with his shoulder and gun towards the raised platform holding the broken remains of the sister ship. "Rut cood cos klat?" He asked as he caught up to them. {What could cause that?} Hopefully, once they'd made progress towards it and away from the cluster of their squadron, they could reassess their next steps.

Disruptis - Disruptis 09-Mar-21 05:34 PM

~An elite lancer near the elevators called something out to his counterparts, and one of the troopers in the area hustled back to where the ship hovered above them. He waited there expectantly.~

Kelimnac - Dominus 09-Mar-21 05:42 PM

MAX? He returned the nod, rising to his feet and looking back towards the ship. It was sitting in the back of his fellow's mind too. Good. He stuck to his stilted, quiet speech pattern, to maintain his cover in case an errant word was caught by a passerby. "Ras tgryung to fuguugre klat ouut. Ras me negrvouus fogr ouugr mussuon. Rrude kle oklegrs fuguugre ouut a ray rorn, det's go anr krekk ut ouut." [Was trying to figure that out. Has me nervous for our mission. While the others figure out a way down, let's go and check it out.] He motioned for his companion to lead, keeping a careful eye on the trooper that went back towards their own ship in the process. Were they getting a cargo drop after all?

Disruptis - Disruptis 10-Mar-21 09:54 PM

~As the two marched over, they saw a long black-and-yellow loop of rope dropped from the side of the ramp. The Grineer gathered it and returned to the group by the elevators. The ghastly wreck of a ship lay at an angle, small amounts of water pouring from its darkened recesses. Two Lancer corpses lay strewn on the tilted landing ramp. One’s skull was bashed in by some powerful blow, and the other was missing his head. The wreckage groaned in the high winds as the imposters made their way inside. The interior of the ship was much like the outside platform. Plenty of corrosive damage in certain spots near the plethora of corpses that lined the floor, with some spots on the personnel themselves. Burn marks and dented alloy plates conveyed the signs of struggle. Much of the ship’s cargo was strewn across its floors, glinting in the faint ambient light. Their contents included arms, munitions, service equipment, and the like. Whatever happened on the ship, it went on for long enough to turn it inside out.~

Vosenedich - Lupin 12-Mar-21 10:44 AM

TOTALLY-NOT-LUPIN™️ It seemed they were somewhat isolated inspecting the wreckage, specially with the other squads handling the emergency elevator setup. It was risky, but they needed to have a talk, reassess their mission priorities and dig into what was going on; and they didn't have neither the time nor place to do so, but this'd have to do. As they move inside the ship's carcass his attention darted from one spot to the next, checking hiding spots cover, even going as far a gently poking some of the corroded corpses; but once the area was indeed secure, he turned to face his co-impostor and tapped his own helmet, signalling before he spoke: "Does not strike me as Grineer engineering." He looked around once more, quickly counting the number of bodies strewn about. "With what caused this on the loose, the base will be on high alert, we should be too, but makes the ruse is pointless. Counterpoints?"

Kelimnac - Dominus 12-Mar-21 10:58 AM

MAX? He stared at the carnage in somber thought, a shadow of a memory passing through his mind. He’d seen brutality towards Grineer, even enacted it himself, but this felt like it was on another level. He turned to his conspirator and nodded. “Only counterpoint that strikes me is that sticking with the pack means first contact will tie up whatever did this with the away team. Then we could hopefully Void out and reinsert from another angle. Counterpoint to that is the ship might leave atmo before we get anywhere close to contact or our actual destination, not to mention whatever is down there might have the capacity to prevent Void-based maneuvering. Unlikely, but I’m not sure I’m willing to take the risk. Up to you in the end, but I’m comfortable breaking cover.” He rolls his shoulders. “These suits aren’t very well insulated, anyways.”

Disruptis - Disruptis 13-Mar-21 12:46 PM

~Lupin counted twenty-one bodies across the ship floor. The first officer was found near the bridge with a pancake for the remains of her head. None of the corpses moved during Lupin’s investigation: they were all very dead. Nothing else of note presented itself other than a curious amount of water damage sustained on the inside of the ship.~

Vosenedich - Lupin 14-Mar-21 06:46 AM

TOTALLY-NOT-LUPIN™️ "All fair points." He said while looking down at a particularly corroded Grineer corpse. "The safety of the crew comes first, integrity of the mission second." He paused to turn back towards his companion, running a quick visual check on their gear. It was garbage. He sighed and shook his head. "The ship we came in should be nearly empty by now; the security personnel should be on the landing platform. New plan: we leave the gear here and return to the vessels - we take over the ship and crash it into the main gate, from there tunnel out into the main elevator. Odds are suspicion from within the base will be placed on a second case of whatever caused this mess, while the outside forces will be busy dealing with the blockade. We will make our way our of here via the waterways after the main objective is complete. Not as clean as we had hoped, but safety comes first." He placed the grakata over his shoulder, uncomfortably shifting his weight on one leg.

Kelimnac - Dominus 17-Mar-21 11:12 AM

MAX? He nodded. “Works fine for me. That way we’ll be in the best position to handle whatever went in ahead of us, be they friend or foe.” He thinks for a minute, then unhooks a hand grenade from his belt. “To draw attention to this ship right after we Void out? And maybe shred the suits enough that they think we got caught in some unexploded ordinance, if we do it near enough gore that they don’t notice the bodies inside missing.”

Disruptis - Disruptis 17-Mar-21 06:04 PM

~A small metal ping sounded on the roof of the ship. Then another. Then a couple more. A cacophony of cracking squeaked out from the ferrite and alloy plating above the intruders' heads. A spray of mist clung to the air of the entrance-way. It had begun to rain.~ (edited)

Vosenedich - Lupin 19-Mar-21 01:58 PM

LUPIN Taking off his helmet revealed the young Tenno's face, weariness visible in his eyes as he stretched his neck to either side. "Set it up. I will head back first and get the cargo unlocked." With the scar tissue on his neck and cheeks broke into a glowing fury as violent lilac and amethyst Void energy consumed his flesh, leaving the Grineer suit devoid of its prior inhabitant. (edited)

Kelimnac - Dominus 19-Mar-21 06:33 PM

MAX He nodded, taking a deep breath as he removed his own helm, feeling the thrumming of Lupin’s Transference energy as he pulled the empty suit nearer to the gore and corpses. He took the extra time to crack the glass of both his and Lupin’s helmets, just in case the grenade didn’t suffice. The more evidence the better. Then, with his display complete, he stood near to where he predicted the blast would send his own suit, breathed deeply, and then as his own Voidstuff began to fill his body and pull him back towards his Warframe, he pulled the pin of the grenade and set it down, fading into nothingness as he went. Well. At least they’d gotten this far with the disguises.

Disruptis - Disruptis 21-Mar-21 01:20 PM

~Lupin opened his eyes, his body now made of sword-steel and technocyte. The dark confines of his cargo box greeted him back into his warframe. It was time to get started. ...is what he probably thought just before the pile of electronics and scrap weighing down his body was lifted off of him, and he found himself staring up into the scrunched face of a Grineer Lancer.~

Vosenedich - Lupin 21-Mar-21 02:21 PM

LUPIN Clasped in one armoured hand was the heat dagger he'd opted for instead of the usual hammer due to the size constraints (and in the hopes of using it as a cutting tool, should the need arise), while the other arm was awkwardly bent behind his back and nearly completely detached. Further still from his reach were his side-shotgun and disassembled mag-rifle. While he was certainly short on options, he was far from concerned facing a single confused Grineer. The insides of the frame, which had been pooling at the bottom of the box for the past few hours of flight, violently animated and burst out and upwards from the inside of the box; his hand guiding the blade at the unfortunate deck worker in unison with the sudden awakening. It was quick and painless. A sizzling sound marked the end of the poor Grineer as the blade had pierced through their helmet, right between their eyes. Their body, quickly going limp was captured by the cascading dust, the metal arm now behind their back gently letting them down into the box. (edited)

Kelimnac - Dominus 21-Mar-21 02:41 PM

DOMINUS His Warframe came into consciousness, and were it not for the body’s natural flexibility and resilience, it would’ve been difficult to resume moving. If he remembered correctly, his and Lupin’s crates should’ve been near to one another, but they may have shifted in flight. Coiling his legs onto the bottom of the crate, he pressed against the lid, and then once the seal gave, he shoved it clear off and leaped out. Spotting the Grineer lifting the lid of one crate nearby, he reflexively drew Thumper from his waist with his right, but seeing his cohort emerging from the crate as well, he instead completed his turn and rolled into a crouch on the floor, sweeping the barrel for other targets as he took his sword into his left hand in preparation for the rest of their hijacking. (edited)

Disruptis - Disruptis 23-Mar-21 12:18 PM

~Dominus swept his barrel across the room just as four Grineer stationed around the room stopped carrying and pushing around their cargo. They stared at the sudden disturbance for a half a second that felt like it lasted an eternity. Their hands jerked to their weapons.~ (edited)

Kelimnac - Dominus 24-Mar-21 01:24 PM

DOMINUS He didn’t know why the impulse came over him. But in that standoff, his head slowly shifted in a nod, almost out of respect, and then he opened fire. Thumper pulsed as the bolts of plasma erupted from the barrel, earning its namesake, and slamming one in the chest with three hits and down to the ground, his armor and flesh melting away under the heat. Then, he burst forward, keeping up the barrage as he braced the weapon across his arm, sword at the ready as he closed in for melee. He caught one crewmate like a deer in headlights, sweeping the Pangolin Sword through his waist and bifurcating him, and then ending him with a point blank headshot from the kitgun. Meanwhile, he checked on his and Lupin’s commlink with an afterthought. “While I clean these up, I’d greatly appreciate if you could take my Latron out of my crate for me. I had to pack it a bit disassembled for the trip.” (edited)

Vosenedich - Lupin 25-Mar-21 10:25 AM

LUPIN With a muted thump, the first Grineer was dumped into the box. A snap of his shoulder, unnatural in its flexibility, sent the dagger in his hand flying with tremendous speed towards one of the two remaining guards. Whether its aim was true, however, mattered little to him at the moment. "Copy that." He responded quite succinctly over the comms, pleased that at least theirs were in working order, as he reached into his box, retrieving his gilded Pyranna from underneath the new occupant. Strapping the shotgun to his side, he darted over to the other container, rummaging inside to produce the assault rifle's parts, and adding each to the assembly with mechanical precision. It would still take a moment, but no sooner had the weapon been reassembled he would throw it over to his companion. (edited)

Disruptis - Disruptis 25-Mar-21 06:42 PM

~Lupin’s dagger sunk into the eye socket of the third Grineer, while the remaining one unleashed a round of grakata fire on Dominus’s shields. “TENNO SKOOM!” The Grineer bellowed, drawing attention from the other parts of the ship. A total of sixteen other Grineer took cover next to anything they could get to nearest, prepping their own firearms for combat. The imposing First Officer planted a hand on the bridge doors and brought her head around to glare around the room. She growled with an impatient rage.~

Kelimnac - Dominus 26-Mar-21 10:16 AM

DOMINUS The Excalibur briefly withstood the grakata fire, intercepting a few bullets with his fast moving sword, but wasted no time in cutting down the source of fire and sliding into cover. He sheathed both of his weapons and reached up to catch his tossed rifle, turning to then begin picking off Grineer who made the mistake of poking their heads out at him. As he did so, he talked strategy with Lupin over their link. “Desiccation, maybe? We’d be able to clean this batch up a lot faster if they’re blind. That First Officer will be a pain too with her crew backing her up.”

Vosenedich - Lupin 26-Mar-21 11:59 AM

LUPIN "That will take too long." His response came over the link far too late, as he was already dashing and sliding past Dominus' cover, sidearm in hand; the brunt of the low calibre barrage would fall on him, with the quick manoeuvre earning him but a second of poor accuracy on the enemy's part. KLIKT-THUMP - Cover could only protect them from afar; the shotgun reaching over the crates scattered the first Grineer's upper torso across the floor. He vaulted over and took their place as his aim pushed further down. THUMP - The rear line blocking the path towards the pilot cabin was next, their body pelted with near a dozen shards cutting shallow at this distance, yet leaving the First Officer with a defence line in disarray. His cover was nearly useless here, but at least that'd leave Dominus a clear path in.

Disruptis - Disruptis 26-Mar-21 07:11 PM

~Five Lancers peeked from their hiding place and peppered Lupin with bullets as he moved, ripping into his raw but very durable flesh. The troops closest to the Birger Officer were indeed forced into cover from Lupin’s shots, just as the Birger Officer pulled a Gorgon off her back and spun up its cylinders.~ Birger Officer: “TENNO!” she bellowed, switching to Orokin. “Oh it’s so nice to meet you again. This time I will personally deliver you back to the VOID!” She pulled the trigger and a torrent of bullets showered the face of the large alloy box Lupin crouched behind. (edited)

Kelimnac - Dominus 27-Mar-21 10:38 AM

DOMINUS “Wish the feeling was mutual...” The Excalibur mumbled from behind his own cover, then slipped into the mess of crates to work his way further up the line, trying to draw the fire off of Lupin by sending a few rounds down towards the Birger Officer, taking advantage of her open stance. Meanwhile he kept talking shop with his comrade. “I can kill pretty much any of them if I can get in tight with the Pangolin Sword, the trouble is just getting there in the first place.”

Disruptis - Disruptis 27-Mar-21 03:42 PM

Birger Officer: The Officer grit her teeth as Dominus's rounds reflected off her armor. None managed to land a fatal hit, but she did end up switching her target to Dominus in response. A couple bullets tore at the shields protecting his head.

Vosenedich - Lupin 28-Mar-21 01:07 PM

LUPIN "In that case: go for the officer." He called back over comms as he focused on the dust pouring out of him. "Get ready to move, in 3, 2..." Before the count was done, he leapt from his cover towards the Officer's left, behind him a dull golden cloud dragged in after his hand. With a whip of his arm the cloud was violently flung in a blinding arc at the heavy gunner. "Apologies, but I have no recollection of you, Officer." He said clear and loud in a tone that betrayed no hostility, as the animated sand worked its way to blind and corrode them.

Disruptis - Disruptis 30-Mar-21 09:08 PM

~The officer shrieked as cursed sand cut into her flesh. Her aim went wild, sending bullets into the walls, ceiling, and even into the back of a crouched trooper. A couple of the remaining Grineer in other parts of the room focused fire on Lupin for a second, pumping his torso full of bullet small holes, though totalling far less damage than the officer could’ve done.~

Kelimnac - Dominus 30-Mar-21 09:22 PM

DOMINUS Having been thrown back under cover from the ripping fire, the Excalibur holstered his rifle and changed back to his blade, throwing himself over the crate immediately after the Dessication wave and bullet jumping towards the officer. Deciding not to risk a glancing blow on her armor immediately, he aimed to damage the middle section of the Gorgon, to hamper its firing, and then brought the sword back up and towards the officer’s neck, in an attempt to not only end her immediate threat, but break the morale of the remaining crew.

Disruptis - Disruptis 31-Mar-21 03:21 PM

~Dominus cleaved through the middle of the Gorgon, forcing it to spew its remaining casings out onto the floor, then brought his sword up just as the officer grabbed hold of his shoulder. Swish. Her head flew off her shoulders towards the cockpit behind her, and her body toppled over at his feet. Grineer didn’t get this far in this system without being fearless and determined, however. The remaining nine lancers saw opportunity and left their covers to focus fire on the exposed Excalibur. The enemy fire ripped away the remnants of his shields and started cutting into his flesh.~ (edited)

Vosenedich - Lupin 01-Apr-21 05:04 PM

LUPIN The moment the blade connected with the officer, he knew there was no way for him to keep the aims on him. That didn't mean he couldn't protect Dominus, though. With reckless abandon he broke into a bullet jump directly towards the Excalibur, tackling him into the now open path and sliding into the cockpit. No sooner had they cross the threshold, he spun and kicked his companion aside, causing both to slide away from each other and out of line of fire. "Get the pilot, I will handle the door." Despite saying that, he was starting to slow down, having lost a non-trivial amount of the substance that replaced most of this body's innards. He pressed his back against the wall, and reached for the door's controls, hoping to lock it behind them. (edited)

Kelimnac - Dominus 02-Apr-21 12:48 AM

DOMINUS As he felt the bullets shatter his shield and impact into his back, he was just in the belabored process of turning to try and engage the pocket of remaining Grineer when Lupin sent him flying with his tackle, and then careening against the wall. Momentarily stunned, he nonetheless got back to his feet rapidly and adjusted, limping slightly but still heading for the pilot’s seat to forcibly hijack and take control from the occupant. “Once we’re clear, I’ll activate my nanites. Hopefully get us back into fighting shape after the crash.”

Disruptis - Disruptis 02-Apr-21 12:14 PM

~Lupin pulled on a latch and the heavy bulkhead doors slammed shut. Gunfire hammered the other side, sounding like rain on a tin roof. Not that that was any louder than the sound of actual heavy rain outside showering the front viewport. There was only one pilot in the room who was so focused on keeping the ship steady on her own that she hadn’t even noticed the Tenno enter yet. The other pilot was already a corpse in the second seat.~

Vosenedich - Lupin 03-Apr-21 09:22 PM

LUPIN With the cockpit underl lockdown, they now had a moment to reassess their actions. He picked up the severed Officer's head with one hand as he inspected his shot-pistol with the other. "Back to work little ones." He whispered in a glimpse of Shakesperean dramatics, pulling the proliferating cursed sand back into his body. It wasn't much, but every bit counted, specially when so much had gone off plan so early on. While he was unfamiliar with this ship's layout, Grineer spacecraft infrastructure rarely veered from the true and tested methods. "Once you are done, check the reactor's integrity." He hinted at over comms as he positioned himself dead-center in front of the bulkhead, Pyranna aimed head-high to greet the poor unfortunate bastard that would be sent to breach, his free hand holding onto the lever to add insult to injury.

Kelimnac - Dominus 05-Apr-21 03:13 PM

DOMINUS He almost felt bad as he approached the pilot. She was just doing her job. They all were, really. But that job was in direct conflict to his own, and he had no way of knowing exactly what was happening down below. It could be anything so heinous it required secrecy. And his job today was to root out the heinous. He laid a heavy hand onto the primary controls alongside the pilot, and as he plunged his sword into her heart from the side, he spoke calmly. "Bgreak tume, sutregr. Gretr redd." [Break time, sister. Rest well.]

Disruptis - Disruptis 06-Apr-21 05:57 PM

~The pilot turned just in time to see Dominus next to her. She spasmed in surprise as the sword pierced her heart, just barely detaching herself from the harness as the life drained from her. The entire ship listed, then began a collision course with the facility landing zone at a breakneck speed. The now uncontrolled boosters were pointing downwards. Both Tenno had to catch themselves as the floor suddenly slanted.~ (edited)

Kelimnac - Dominus 08-Apr-21 06:14 PM

DOMINUS While he'd tried to be swift and somewhat respectful in the slaying itself, he couldn't afford to be kind the rest of the way. With a shove he got the pilot's body out of her seat and went for the controls to try and level the ship back into place, bracing his feet against whatever was nearby if the angle got too aggressive. In the back of his mind he made a note to thank Intellectus's paranoia for forcing him to get a passing understanding of most ship types in the system when he heard about the mission. "Are we still sticking to the 'ram it into the entrance and hope for the best' plan? Did you want me to try and dump out our remaining passengers first, or at the very least throw them for a loop? I might be able to get this to roll."

Vosenedich - Lupin 09-Apr-21 10:10 AM

LUPIN Luckily, he already had his hand on the lever, which promply became his sole anchor point when the ship dove down. Surely the bulkhead would open halfway as his weight pulled the lever part of the way up. The position was incredibly awkward, but it was oddly advantageous - should the guards fall on or approach the entrance, they'd now be wide open to his gunfire. With that in mind, he held on tightly to the lever, pulling himself up until one leg touched the wall (now pseudo ceiling) and he could lock himself in place. "Just ram it, and then lock the controls to maximum thrust forward - it should cause the thrusters to overheat in a few minutes." He replied while trying to adjust and match the ship's movements.

Disruptis - Disruptis 09-Apr-21 04:21 PM

~Dominus yanked on the controls, but found that the ship was already too close to the ground. Both Tenno braced as the landing pad zoomed up to them in the blink of an eye and punched in the front of the vessel. CRUNCH. Two Grineer fell through the crack in the partially opened doorway from the sheer force of the impact and shattered the viewport, disappearing when the ship flipped over and tumbled across the pad. Everything inside it was tossed around with enough force to crack a skull or two. The rolling stopped when the nose of the ship jammed upside-down into the side of the entranceway, since the ship had been keeping tabs on that direction. It crushed four Grineer troops stationed inside along the way, not to mention everyone who had been outside on the platform. Three remaining Grineer flanking the elevators further in just about leaped out of their skin.~ (edited)

Kelimnac - Dominus 11-Apr-21 02:29 PM

DOMINUS He didn't know what reflex had come up with the idea to additionally brace himself by lodging his sword into the hull and essentially planting his feet and arms into a corner of the cockpit in a spider-like pose. Maybe it was an ingrained trick of Tenno acrobatics. Or maybe some latent memory of his had come up with the idea. For some reason he could vaguely remember being in a crash similar to this one, and he was ill-willing to repeat history given that anything could have triggered his amnesia. He didn't want more trauma to have to deal with. In any case, once they had settled into place, for better or for worse, he braved his communicator, not daring to move too much for fear of losing his grip and somehow managing to plummet into the elevator shafts. "...Lupin. Please tell me you're alright. And next time we do a job like this, let's try for an underwater insertion. I've decided I hate infiltration. Let me know when you feel comfortable to move. My nanites are still on deck."

Vosenedich - Lupin 12-Apr-21 11:51 AM

LUPIN "This has gone as poorly as it could possibly have." He thought to himself as he looked down and out the window, waiting to time his fall. "Well, at least there are no Sentient..." He winced at the thought of having jinxed them further, just as he let go, falling less than second after the two unfortunate souls who'd soon become paste on the platform. Mid-air, he spun himself around, using the momentum of his fall and spin to catapult his Parazon against the now-empty pilot's chair; he would've soon joined the floored lancers had he not yanked himself to break his momentum. The pendulum effect carried him with great force against the floor-turned-wall as it spun around him, he stumbled as he continued to pull himself towards the chair, running and jumping against the chaotic environment - it was like trying to survive living inside a Rubix cube being solved by a very angry cephalon. "Yeah... just barely." He finally responded exhausted as he was being furiously spun by the parazon's cable unwinding from the endeavour as it extended to its full length and dropped him to ground level. "I need to replenish my nanites though - we might have a second or two before they approach the crash." His shoulder popped back into place as he said that, the unusual anatomy of his avatar trying its best to remain in one piece despite the plentiful leaks on its chest and sides.

Disruptis - Disruptis 13-Apr-21 07:40 PM

~KABOOM. The engines blew a deafening explosion out the back of the ship, slightly rocking it forwards. The closest two lancers backed up into the platforms flanking the elevator shaft with very nervous movements. The third one took aim and fired upon Lupin.~ “Tenno SKOOM!”

Vosenedich - Lupin 13-Apr-21 08:23 PM

LUPIN "Never-" The parazon quickly clicked shut and with a tug was dislodged as the Inaros dropped to his knees and leapt down towards the assailant. "-mind" KLIKT-THUMP The Pyrana went off at near point-blank range, as he'd flown a solid 5 meters directly towards them, right above their line of fire. Their body didn't have time to touch the ground however. In the same swift movement, he caught the husk by the shoulder pad and transferred his momentum with a vault, catapulting them towards one of the staggered onlookers, pinning them under the weight of their own companion's corpse. KLIKT-THUMP He shot again, this time at the standing onlooker. KLIKT-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP The still-standing Grineer was quickly turned into a pincushion as the gun unloaded barrage after barrage of pellets upon them. "Inside. Now." He called back over comms, taking the briefest moment to reload his gun while he walked towards the singled-out Grineer. tink tink thunk tink He recoiled as the pinned and now panicking Grineer started shooting from their position instead of trying to free themselves. "Void damnit!" It wasn't rage, but rather frustration that was palpable in his voice, as he started sprinting towards the nearest corpse grabbing them on their way into the elevator area. (edited)

Kelimnac - Dominus 13-Apr-21 08:34 PM

DOMINUS The Excalibur dropped not long after Lupin, grabbing the underside of what remained of the ship's front-facing window on his way down to vault out towards the walls, using his prior idea of sword-based braking to effectively drag a long, jagged line down the side of the shaft they were in to the ground. He watched as Lupin engaged the hostiles on the ground floor in the meantime, and, spotting the last Grineer still doggedly firing at his companion, pushed off of the wall at a (reasonably) safe height to plummet towards the pinned trooper and plunge the Pangolin Sword through him. With that handled, and his fall conveniently broken by the act, he pried his blade free with a wet, sucking noise and followed the Inaros closely, reaching to the small of his back to remove a metal pod, holding it between the two of them as he activated the repair process. "Healing pad's up. It'll take time, especially working with your frame's tough skin, but this'll take the edge off. How's your energy? My shields are still cooling." (edited)

Disruptis - Disruptis 15-Apr-21 08:53 PM

~As they rested, Lupin’s eyes were drawn to a black-and-yellow rope bound tightly to the edge of the platform that hung down into the depths of the elevator shaft. The fire of the engines crackled near the entrance, partially drowned out by the sound of heavy rain outside.~ (edited)

Vosenedich - Lupin 18-Apr-21 12:14 AM

LUPIN "Thank you." He spoke drily as he slowed down as his companion had cleared the room. While inspecting the wounds on his carapace he took to a knee, absorbing the healing effects of the deployable. The cursed sand that seeped from his body slowly dragging across the floor and rolling over the bodies to rejoin with its host. "It looks worse than it is, as soon as the cracks stop leaking, it should be enough to keep me going." "I can still spare the energy." He added, clipping the gun to his side, and dropping the corpse he'd had half the intention to pick clean. "But it looks like someone other than the Grineer was here." He added with growing intrigue and concern, pointing at the rope. "A Tenno most likely, given the damage inside the crew ship, though an operative with them is likely." Had there not been a break in, the elevators would be up by now, or a semi-permanent zip-line would be in place. No sooner he'd stopped 'bleeding' he got back on his feet, not quite moving yet, but certainly giving off the intention to do so. "Get as much healing as we can, we will most definitely be facing full alert resistance from here on out." (edited)

Kelimnac - Dominus 18-Apr-21 01:48 AM

DOMINUS He rolled his neck as they slowly repaired what damage could be fixed in the field, finally taking the time to reload his weapons. “I regret not bringing my Carrier for additional support, but with the resistance we’ve had so far, it would’ve gotten shot down quickly.” He followed his gaze to the rope down, mind wandering to the carnage a full-frontal assault might've merited. Especially if they'd brought a full complement of four Warframes to the party. But even he thought that was overkill. “That’s assuming there’s much left to resist us, but I agree.” (edited)

Vosenedich - Lupin 22-Apr-21 06:53 PM

LUPIN "Likewise, I would not mind having my pet with me, but we will have to make do." He added in a relaxed tone, letting a few more moments linger. "Right, I think that will do for healing on my end." He segwayed. "I will be heading down now, give me some back up from higher ground." He added, already heading towards the rope, checking its anchor point before pirouetting over the ledge and starting his rappel down.

Kelimnac - Dominus 22-Apr-21 07:14 PM

DOMINUS "Aye aye. I'll follow on your word." The Excalibur deactivated the healing pad manually and replaced it at his back (to recycle it, mostly) before making his way to the edge of the shaft near the rope and almost casually sitting against the wall to brace his recoil, and aiming his Latron down towards the bottom, watching Lupin descend from the corner of his eye. He swept the barrel slowly across his view, waiting for any unfamiliar movement to make itself known.

Disruptis - Disruptis 24-Apr-21 04:26 PM

~Lupin descended the elevator shaft as the faint creaking of metal and flow of water surrounded him. The air was dank and humid, and the sound of dripping water echoed throughout the chamber. He reached the bottom to see more destruction, before the room stretched out in one hall leading to another elevator shaft that was in very much the same state as the one they had just climbed down. This included another rope inviting them to climb further downward. Dominus joined him when it was clear, and the two began to descend into the ravaged facility.~ (edited)

. .. … …. ….. …… ~Lupin and Dominus carefully investigated the underwater Grineer sealab. Corpses were strewn across the floors every so while, and all equipment they had was either shattered or missing entirely. Some of the haunted corridors were shut entirely due to an environment breach, sealing whatever watery grave now lay beyond. Eventually they found themselves walking down a hallway until they both heard some shuffling in an unchecked room to their right before the bend path~.

Kelimnac - Dominus 25-Apr-21 08:49 PM

DOMINUS As they'd entered the hallways of the facility proper, Dominus had switched back to his musketeer style pistol+sword combination, since maneuvering his Latron effectively in close quarters would be a nuisance more than anything else. As they heard the shuffling of the unchecked room, he silently treaded to the side of the door and nodded his head towards it, weapons at the ready. Whatever they were following down here, he wanted to identify it fast. And if necessary inflict gratuitous violence upon it. The same applied to what might be inside.

Vosenedich - Lupin 27-Apr-21 12:36 PM

LUPIN Either by chance, or simply by the laws of cohesion, the two were nearly matching in style of weaponry, and strangely well coordinated for their first mission together. In a stance reminiscent of ancient enforcers and assassins, he carried his dagger with a reversed grip underneath his gun hand, providing him both stability for a shot and quickest access to his blade. Once Dominus had moved into position, and having done the same on the other side of the opening, he nodded and silently gestured the count of three. On one, he bounced away from the wall to turn, kneel and slide into the room, activating his flashlight in the process.

Disruptis - Disruptis 29-Apr-21 06:22 PM

~The flashlight cut through the darkened interior, revealing another gruesome scene of slain Grineer. Standing amongst them however was a singular trooper, which the pair recognized as a member of the squad they had infiltrated. Upon the light hitting his face, the trooper looked up from the body he was searching, his fearful expression slowly morphing to one of abject terror as his eyes adjusted and he recognized the shape of a Warframe before him. "Kweens, no!" he yelled. The trooper fumbled for his weapon, hands visibly shaking as he raised his gun to Lupin. He barely had time to aim it before a loud slam sounded far behind him, accompanied by a cerulean tendril lashing out from the darkness and snatching the trooper, who started screaming unintelligibly as he was dragged off beyond the range of Lupin's light. Though no longer visible, Lupin and Keli could still hear the frenzied wails of the trooper, but with an audible crunch, his cries began to sound more gargled. Another crunch, followed by a final-sounding squelch, and the trooper fell silent. The sound of heavy footfalls began to fill the still air. Step by step, a tall figure emerged from the darkness. Lupin's light revealed it to be a Hydroid Prime model Warframe, with a crude looking zaw hanging from its hand.~ ???: "Was wondering where that one came from," the frame croaked, shielding what would have passed for eyes on the frame's head with their other arm, "hey, kill the light would you?"

Kelimnac - Dominus 30-Apr-21 03:07 PM

DOMINUS Max grimaced as far as a faceless frame like Excalibur could, having walked into the room behind Lupin once he had swept his flashlight across the trooper and then the mysterious Hydroid. He felt a touch on edge at the sight of them, but kept his own weapons low, and his light off. He wanted answers more than anything else right now. "I had a feeling we were either dealing with another Warframe, or some other particularly ambitious and aggressive individual ripping and tearing their way through this facility. How goes, friend? Callsign's Dominus, if you have a name yourself. What brings you here?"

Vosenedich - Lupin 30-Apr-21 06:50 PM

LUPIN He'd kept the gun trained on the Grineer's last seen location until the Hydroid finally emerged. With a sigh of relief, he lowered the weapon and turned the light off at the other Tenno's behest. He gave them a quick two-fingered wave with his dagger hand as he stood back up, moving aside so the three could converse inside the room more comfortably.

Disruptis - Disruptis 02-May-21 12:58 PM

???: "Appreciate it. How I'm doing depends on whether these wastes of protein managed to call for help before I got'em," the Hydroid replied with audible disdain as it motioned back towards where he had left the last trooper. "Wasn't expecting to run into reinforcements so soon, but as long as they're dead, that's all that matters. Say..." the pair could almost feel a pair of unseen eyes, quickly scanning the both of them, "you're asking me how I am, but that patch job on your frames makes you two look like you were on the wrong end of a flak cannon. What happened to you?"

Kelimnac - Dominus 03-May-21 10:35 PM

DOMINUS The Excalibur looked down at itself, then back up to the Hydroid, before shrugging noncommittally. Really, when wasn't your average Warframe on the wrong side of a gun? "Insert went a bit awry, what can I say? We didn't get iced, and we're as close to 100% as you can get in the field without some sort of self-repair system. Initially we were going to try and do this quiet, just to figure out what was going down. That changed once we saw the carnage topside. Presumably your handiwork? Or do you have a team rolling with you?"

Askaris 05-May-21 11:06 AM

???: "Funny, I was just about to ask him the same thing. Again." Flickering green light emanated from the chamber entrance. Standing before them was another warframe, a black-clad Nova Prime wreathed in a luminous mist that constantly boiled off its chassis. One hand held onto a datamass, the other an ornate machine pistol; though not pointed at anyone for now, the warframe's finger was resting on the trigger. The blank faceplate turned to the Hydroid, somehow conveying a glare with an utterly expressionless face. "'Haven't worked with a squad in a long time', was it? Then I suppose these-" she gestured at the new arrivals, "-marked quite a turning point for you." (edited)

Disruptis - Disruptis 05-May-21 01:38 PM

???: The Hydroid cast a glance over his shoulder, eyeing the irate Nova. "Cool it Nova," He replied curtly, "they're not with me, and it sounds like they're not your crew either. Saves me the trouble of asking." He turned sideways a bit, allowing himself to face both parties of interlopers. "You can put that pistol away too while you're at it. The only things here that would be scared of that peashooter are already dead.” The Hydroid returned his attention back to the new pair. "Look, I don't know why you two are here, and unless you're on the Grineer payroll I don't really care. Loot the place if you like, I won't stop you. You're out of luck if you're here for intel though. There aren't any working consoles left on these levels. Now..." The frame cast its eyes about the room, before locking onto a small stack of red-orange barrels in a corner labelled with the typical Grineer ‘DEATH IS NEXT’ label, betraying its nature as an explosive barrel. "There they are. Nova, grab a barrel." The Hydroid strode over to the stack, taking a barrel under each arm. With payload in hand, he started walking back towards the darkened halls of the base, before pausing to address the pair again. "Oh, word of warning. I already told the Nova this, but if I were you I wouldn't hang around too long. At some point someone's going to come check on this place, and unless you want to fight an army, I'd suggest you be long gone before that happens."

UnremarkableUsername - Karsk 05-May-21 04:13 PM

Karsk: I assume you're going to use those somewhere else, rather than the door we were just at. Either that, or you're joking.

To Narakis, he sent an additional message: Can you tell these two to open their comms? (edited)

Kelimnac - Dominus 05-May-21 04:55 PM

DOMINUS He was staring at the Nova. Something seemed familiar. The frame, the voice, hell, even the attitude seemed to strike a chord. He couldn't place why, but she felt like someone that he should know already. The Hydroid had mentioned fighting an army...Then it clicked. Maybe he couldn't remember her, but she might remember him. The Excalibur voiced his concerns, suddenly hoping beyond hope he was finally running into someone who could help with his memories, even in a small way. "Wait. Before you both run off. Nova, er, whatever your name or callsign might be. I apologize if this seems strange, but have we met before? Usually my memory is fairly good, but everything prior to waking up, I can never recall. But I feel like I should recognize you." (edited)

Vosenedich - Lupin 07-May-21 10:09 AM

LUPIN Since the Hydroid had made their entrance, he'd been a bystander, letting Dominus be the face of their squad and establish a link with the others. At the mention of memories, however, he perked up and looked between the Nova Prime and Excalibur. "Probably best you two talk in private about that - preferably off the field for that matter." He cut in, before he walked past them to grab yet another of the barrels and following after the Hydroid. "I need more information about this place, so I better check that our mystery sailor does not sink our boat quite yet." He lingered there, politely waiting for the other two to follow or nod in acknowledgement of his planned exit from the conversation at that point. (edited)

Askaris 08-May-21 11:50 AM

NOVA: The Nova's posture was rigid and tense, her gaze locked on the Excalibur. Knuckles tightening on the akstiletto. At Lupin's words however her head jerked toward the Inaros. "...Quite. Neither the time nor the place." She tapped the side of her helmet. "Would you be so good as to open your comms? There's someone else who'd like to make your acquaintance." With that she stalked out the room after the Hydroid, pointedly ignoring the stack of explosive barrels. (edited)

Disruptis - Disruptis 10-May-21 11:31 PM

??? The Hydroid shook his head at the back and forth, but noted that at least someone besides his alleged partner was offering to help. "Already told you Cephalon," he said over comms, "I only need a small opening, and it looks like your friend's firepower alone isn't going to cut it. Plus, that door's the only way in or out of that level. Wouldn't be bothering with it otherwise." Briefly, the Hydroid looked over towards Lupin. "If you and your friend want to help, that's fine by me. Many hands and all that." Adjusting his grip on one of the barrels, he continued his trek back towards the door, implicitly directing the pair to follow.

Kelimnac - Dominus 11-May-21 12:45 AM

DOMINUS Stifled. But her hesitance and the dodging of the question told him enough. She did know something about who he was. And he would have answers. But first he had to cooperate. And they were all making valid points, honestly. He tapped the side of his helm as he approached the barrels, grabbing an extra and setting his communications array. While it was going to take a few moments more before Intellectus noticed them linking back up, the least he could do was follow the instruction, for whoever else was listening. He was close behind Lupin and the Hydroid when he spoke again. "Well, at least now we're unlikely to get ourselves wrecked down here with a full complement of Warframes. Unlikely, being the operative term."

Askaris 13-May-21 08:38 AM

NOVA: "Quite. In any case, we have a little time gentlemen; how about a crash course in demolitions?" The Nova weaved around the impromptu squad, placing herself alongside the tall Hydroid while walking backwards to face the other two. "Selecting the right tool for the task at hand is paramount; simply taking whichever explosive is closest to hand and hoping for the best is the recourse of the foolish, desperate, or suicidal. So!" Twin metallic pings echoed off the corridors as the warframe snapped its fingers. "Let us say we were trying to blast a bore through an extremely heavy duty vault door. Given the thickness and strength of the barrier, this would require a penetrating device: high explosive breaching charges, anti-armour weaponry, antimatter, or if we're really strapped for options a mining laser. What we're bringing, however-" She rapped her knuckles on the canister held in the Hydroid's arms, "-are a few barrels of detonite if we're lucky, distilled grokdrul if not. Low yield. Not even shaped." She looked pointedly at her 'partner'. "All this will serve is to spit fire and shrapnel around the room while I work. If you wish to help me get us through that door, you need to bring something FOCUSED." She turned back to the pair. "Oh, and would a second Zenurik adherent be too much to hope for? This will need quite some power regardless." (edited)

Vosenedich - Lupin 13-May-21 09:21 AM

LUPIN "From the sounds of it, you have tried antimatter already." He tacked on at the end of the Nova's extensive explanation. "By your own admission, single blast was insufficient - and simply going at it without guarantee of success could turn out to be a foolish waste of resources. So why not change the approach? We need the bulkhead out of the way, not necessarily destroyed - if you get rid of the locking mechanism, we might be able to force it open with the four of us." He finally tapped the side of his head with the back of his gun, gesturing to open his own comms channel. All the while he following after the Hydroid, and now Nova, at the head of the squad.

UnremarkableUsername - Karsk 14-May-21 06:32 PM

Karsk: Or alternatively, go back outside, and break in again down below. If you can handle the pressure. Hello, little brothers. I and this Nova have come gather intelligence. This Hydroid has come to kill everything. Why are you here?

Disruptis - Disruptis 16-May-21 12:55 PM

???: "Are you deaf, Cephalon?" The Hydroid said wearily. "Or do you just like to hear yourself talk? I just told you I tried to find another way in from the outside. There aren't any. If there were a simpler way inside we wouldn't be talking right now." He shifted one of the barrels again as he trudged forward, halfheartedly nodding along to the Nova's scolding. "Two things Nova. First, these barrels pack quite a bit more punch than you'd think. Found that out the hard way. Second, if anti-matter is so useful here, why'd you decide to waste time following me around instead of trying to breach the door? I told you this already, but since you and your glass-headed partner seem to be hard of hearing, I'll say it again: all I need you to do is make a small hole in the door. I don't care how its done." The Hydroid grumbled audibly before pressing onward, lengthening his stride as they drew closer to the door.

Kelimnac - Dominus 18-May-21 02:01 PM

DOMINUS Another day to be grateful for his Warframe's expressionless head. He was torn between frowning at the bickering or smirking. Hearing the new Cephalon's voice in his head, he responded to the open air and along his network. "My companion and I came here to investigate the Grineer's operations and hopefully disrupt them. Initially we were going to try and do things quietly through an insertion using some Steel Meridian made Grineer suits, but after we saw the carnage we scrubbed that plan and went loud." Max felt more than heard Intellectus also slip into his mind, but his personal Cephalon kept quiet for the moment as he did some cursory scans of his fellow Warframes and his own colleague, before starting cursory mapping protocols. "If you liked, I could see about trying to carve a gap in the door with my blade before we resort to extreme explosives. And I apologize, Nova, I hold towards Naramon and Vazarin as my schools. An Excalibur's energy usually doesn't deplete particularly fast if he's smart with using it."

Vosenedich - Lupin 19-May-21 01:19 PM

LUPIN The sooner they could get this door open, the sooner all this needless bickering could come to an end. "Unfortunately our plan of entry did not allow for large explosives or anti-bunker weaponry." He added to the Excalibur's explanation. "Which means: we will have to make do with what we have, as Hydroid so eloquently pointed out." "So, since you seem to know what these barrels have been loaded with, Hydroid: where to?" He finished up tapping the side of the barrel with his gun.

UnremarkableUsername - Karsk 19-May-21 01:29 PM

Karsk: Nice to see Tenno willing to control their murderous impulses, even if only temporarily. Were any of you aware of a shipment to this base from Venus, with mysterious cargo?

Disruptis - Disruptis 22-May-21 01:22 PM

???: "The door's nearby," the Hydroid informed them, "just around this corner here." The team had returned to heavy door, which now bore the scars of both the Nova' and the Hydroid's attempts at entry. He gently placed the barrels up against the door, taking several steps back after doing so. "Sounds like we all get what we want if this place is destroyed. Set the barrels up, then let's see how sturdy this door is." The Hydroid retreated a fair distance away from the door, pulling a grataka off his hip as he reached the door on the opposing side of the room that lead back out into the hallway. "Find cover. You don't want to be within a direct line of them." (edited)

Kelimnac - Dominus 24-May-21 09:19 PM

DOMINUS The Excalibur set down the extra barrel and turned away for cover, taking position behind the corner of a distant wall and pulling his Latron off his back at rest, to turn the corner and aim once the explosion was set off. In the meantime, his Cephalon engaged Karsk, his scans and situational update complete. My Master and his associate were given the location of this base due to reports of Vay Hek and Tyl Regor attempting a new cloning process, and thus were sent to gather information and disrupt the proceedings. I can only assume that said mysterious cargo has something to do with it. Max was busy keeping his gaze affixed to the Nova, even as he kept his actual head from moving. Much as he wanted answers, he didn't want any antimatter-charged bullets flying around if she got particularly incensed, so if she went off the handle, they'd have to bring her back down to earth fast. "Are we expecting anything inside? I know you've cleared out most of this region, but I imagine they'd have plenty of bodies guarding whatever's past this heavy of a defensive chokepoint."

Vosenedich - Lupin 25-May-21 02:34 PM

LUPIN Yet another barrel was placed before the door, squeezed tight with the other two as the Inaros made sure the barrels were secured. With a shoulder roll and a quick glance at the setup, he finally gave a nod and jogged back towards the group, giving the Hydroid a quick nod and a "Good to go." He took cover beside Dominus, kneeling and pressing his body against the wall, his synthetic muscles tensed up as he readied himself for the chaos of an explosion and the subsequent guards that would come. "And to append to that." He added after Dominus' tactical question. "Do you have a backup plan, should we need to lock the location down, but are unable to get to the cargo?"

Disruptis - Disruptis 27-May-21 04:00 PM

???: "I don't care about the cargo," the Hydroid stated bluntly, "My plan is simple. Step one: kill every living thing on the other side of that door. Step two: Destroy all network infrastructure. Step three: flood the base and extract." He slowly checked the weapon in his hand as he rattled off his objectives. "Total extermination mission. Nothing left usable, and no witnesses. I don't know what's on the other side of that door, but with our current numbers, its nothing we can't handle..." the Hydroid paused, seeming to think about something for a moment. "Nova," he called, "Mind lighting this candle? the more firepower we hit this thing with the better."

NOVA The Nova rolled her eyes. “You better hope this works,” she replied flatly. She wove her hands in an arc in front of her, radiant green energy burning from her hands. She brought them together with clawed fingers until a vivid green ball of swirling antimatter pooled between them. “You will want to focus as much force or firepower onto this orb as possible for the most optimal effect. It feeds on all types of energy.” With that, she released the slow moving sphere of dizzying energy to the other end of the room.

Kelimnac - Dominus 27-May-21 04:05 PM

DOMINUS "Aye aye." Was his response as he began laying fire into the orb, unloading a full clip, since his Latron had the benefit of being able to carry obscene amounts of extra ammunition. "While I'd like to know more, a three-step plan isn't a terrible one." (edited)

Vosenedich - Lupin 27-May-21 04:08 PM

LUPIN "I can spare a couple clips." He said quickly before turning the Pyrana onto the orb, synching up with the Latron's own fire so as to leave little room for crossfire. A full clip would go by in a flash, with another swiftly being slotted in.

UnremarkableUsername - Karsk 27-May-21 04:11 PM

Karsk: Actually, I would much prefer you left the network infrastructure intact, and indeed any machinery and artifacts that aren't both alive and made of flesh.

Disruptis - Disruptis 27-May-21 04:33 PM

~The antimatter drop swelled in size before crashing into the stack of barrels with a thundering green explosion. The barrels burst with their own yellow-orange cumbustion that blew up so hard it made the entire corridor shake. The fiery blast surged from the room and into the hallway, bathing the Nova as she desperately summoned her own Null Stars to shield herself. All three Tenno around the bend felt scalding hot air singe their warframes’ sword steel carapaces and blast throughout the rest of the floor. Once the explosions subsided, a very energy-depleted Nova stood in front of a bulkhead door with a massive dent in its face. They had succeeded, but only in creating a small gap between the warped metal of the two sides of the door about fifteen centimeters wide.~

Kelimnac - Dominus 29-May-21 03:42 PM

DOMINUS Once the worst was past, Max rounded the corner and advanced slowly on the door, keeping his freshly-reloaded Latron's barrel pointed directly at the opening. "I can either see if I can cut us a bit more of a gap, or we can try and pull it apart. Thoughts?" As he came closer to the door, he pulled off slightly to the right and closer to the connecting wall, dropping to a knee. Just in case some sort of colossal behemoth burst through and tried to trample all of them. Then he could react accordingly.

UnremarkableUsername - Karsk 29-May-21 05:12 PM

Karsk: Hydroid was going to slip through and open it from the other side, if I remember right. I wonder, should we ask each other's names, or are we content to be anonymous strangers passing in the darkness?

Disruptis - Disruptis 31-May-21 01:13 PM

Hydroid: The Hydroid strode past the others, his gaze unerringly fixed on the new breach on the door. "Strangers is fine with me," the Hydroid remarked brusquely, holstering his Grataka as he melted into a pool of liquid on the floor. With an audible splash, the puddle of void-infused water arched upwards from the floor and through the hole in the door. ~A couple moments passed. Then, the door groaned as its dented frame attempted to retract into both walls. A large cranking noise accompanied its multilayered retreat, until it pulled open to reveal a reconstituted Hydroid holding down a giant lever attached to the side of a small hallway that abruptly ended in a single elevator. The exit ahead wasn’t the typical Grineer double-shaft meant for hauling both ways at once. As such, there was no way to know what lay below without descending into it.~

Vosenedich - Lupin 31-May-21 08:23 PM

LUPIN "Good work, Hydroid." He nodded at the Hydroid as he followed through the now-open corridor. His comms were left silent as all that needed to be said for introductions had been covered at this moment. "We have lost enough time with the door, so we better hurry on through." He added as he quickened his pace on the way over to the elevator, ready to check the console if none beat him to it. The sooner they could make it to the bottom of this lab, the better.

Disruptis - Disruptis 01-Jun-21 12:18 PM

NARAKIS “Well that’s a little rude,” the Nova commented, watching the door open, “I am Narakis. I don’t quite know what the deal is with our Hydroid friend here but--” Narakis straightened up as a loud alert came in through her HUD. She quickly pulled open its message to see what was up. She didn’t like what she found. “Ah… that is most tragic. Well, I have completed my end of the deal in escorting the cephalon inside. Cephalon Karsk, I shall leave it to you from here. I have business I must attend to.” With that, Narakis moved back into the hallway into the direction she came into the facility from. She turned back for a second and locked eyes with Dominus. “Tell the cephalon to give you my number. We’ll talk later.” (edited)

Kelimnac - Dominus 01-Jun-21 12:26 PM

DOMINUS He'd forgotten the Hydroid's plan, he could admit to that. As the door opened, he stood and was about to round his way inside, when he was passed by the Nova. Narakis. He knew that name. It wasn't a callsign. It was her name. But where had he heard it before? Nonetheless, he nodded to her. "Understood, and be safe out there. I can't ask questions of the dead. Feel free to leave whatever the Cephalon's using as a vessel in a pod in orbit, I'll have my Orbiter come around to pick it up." He would take Karsk's current home off of her, switching back to Thumper and joining the other two inside the elevator shaft, silent as he approaches. He suddenly had a fair bit on his mind to accompany this mission.

UnremarkableUsername - Karsk 02-Jun-21 03:35 PM

Karsk To Narakis, he sent: o7 Make sure to put my body somewhere I can find it without too much trouble. To the rest, he sent: First functional console you find, I want in.

Disruptis - Disruptis 06-Jun-21 01:19 AM

NARAKIS “I appreciate it…” Narakis turned on her heel and stalked around the corner, pausing one last time without turning. “...Don’t forget to give me a call.” With that, the Nova’s footsteps retreated down the corridors. Hydroid: The Hydroid barely seemed to notice the Nova's departure as he quietly took his place in the elevator, hoisting the shotgun off his back and staring ahead, waiting for one of his new squadmates to start the elevator.

Vosenedich - Lupin 06-Jun-21 03:30 AM

LUPIN Very unceremoniously, the Inaros pressed the button to head down with the side of a closed fist. "Going down."

To be continued...